More than 4,500 sleeping rough on England’s streets

More than 4,500 people slept rough on the streets of England last year, according to official figures released after the UK had its coldest night of the winter.

Local authorities estimated around 4,677 people slept rough on a single night last autumn, according to data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

This was up 2,909 since comparable records begun in 2010, but marked the first decrease of the decade, with a 2% drop since 2017.

Despite the fall across England, London saw a 13% increase with 1,283 sleeping on the streets.